Relay



R. M. HOPKINS.

RELAY. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1911.

1,311,648. Patented July 29, 1919.

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT orrion- RICHARD M. HOPKINS, OF NEW YORK.N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN DISTRICT TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY,NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RELAY.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed June 15,1917. Serial No. 174,855.

and resident of the borough of Manhattan,"

city, county, .and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Relays, of which the following is aspecification.

Myinvention relates to improvements in alternating current relays, andcomprises a particular arrangement of front contact point, in connectionwith a spring-mounted armature, whereby vibration of such point againstits corresponding stop is practically eliminated, and firm and goodcontact of such point with its stop assured. Thereby it is renderedpossible to produce a simple alternating current relay, of a typeclosely approximating direct current relays of a standard type, andwithout the complications heretofore required to make alternatingrcurrent relays eifective.

he object of my invention is toproduce an alternating current relay ofsimple character and of a type corresponding closely to the standardtype of directcurrent relay, which shall be capable of producing goodand firm contact between its front contact point and front stop, andshall be devoid of the buzzing efi'ect, commonly experienced heretoforewhen attempt has been made to use relays of substantially ordinarydirect current character on alternating current circuits.

, I will now proceed to describe my inventionv with reference to theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate one type of relay embodying myinvention.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 shows a top view of my improved relay; Fig. 2 a side elevationthereof, and Fig. 3 a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

designates the usual In the drawings: 1 (preferably lamibase, 2, 2 themagnet cores nated, as indicated) and 3, 3 the magnet spools.

4 designates the armature for the said magnets, provided with the usualupward extension 5 arranged to engage the usual back stop screw 6carried by the usual yoke 7; but it is to be noted that this extension 5does not engage any front stop. The arma- 'ture is supported, not by theusual trunnion but screws, by flexible strips 8 securely clamped to thearmature l and also to a stationary support 9. For its front contact,

the armature is provided with an adjustable contact screw 10, located(1n the construction" shown) slightly above the point where the strips 8are clamped to the armature -l, and arranged to make contact with acontact plece 11 carried, conveniently, by the lower portion of the yoke7, The usual retractile spring 12 is provided.

It appears that when the armature is attracted by the magnet, it has,not merely an oscillatory movement (as it would have if mounted ontrunnions) but a bodily movement toward the magnet poles; and,consequently, the contact screw 10 has a much greater amplitude ofmovement than if ,the armature were pivoted; permitting a relativelygreater separation of the contact screw from its stop 11 on the backwardmovement of the armature than that; screw would have if located as shownand if-the armature were pivoted in the usual manner. It -is foundthat'said contact screw 10 makes a firm contact with its stop 11, uponforward movement of the armature, and that there is no noticeablebuzzing effect; and when the armature is retracted ample separation ofcontact screw 10 from stop ll /is obtained. In fact, the relay operates,on alternating current, just as a direct current relay operates ondirect current.

In some former alternating current relays two or more magnets have beenemployed, which are out of phase relatively. In this relay, no occasionis found for having the two magnets out of phase, and commonly they arein phase. The successful operation of the relay appears to be due to thespringsupport of the armature, permitting bodily motion (asdistinguished from oscillatory motion) of the armature toward and fromthe magnet, and to the location of the front contact screw close to thepoint of support of that armature by the supporting springs, andpreferably between that point of support and the center of effort of themagnets on the armatnrel In terming the improved el'ectro-magnet1cinstrument herein described a rclay, I use that term in a generic sense,inclusive also of sounders, and other apparatus actuated by, oremploying, a magnet and moving armature. Firmness of contact. between anarmature and its anvil is essential in a sounder,

in order that the sound oroduced may be characteristic, and of readablecharacter.

0 'short flexible strips clamped to said base and to said armature, andcontact points, one

carried by said armature and located between the point of attachment ofsaid springs to said base and the center of efiort of the magnet on thearmature, the other arranged to make contact with said first-mentionedcontact point when the armature moves toward the magnet.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification 'in the scribingwitnesses; i

' RICHARD M. HOPKINS. Witnesses NELLIE I-IAIG,

ABIGA'HI; ,T. MGOLEAN. I

presence of two, sub-

